There were so many legitimate worries about the AMC series "Breaking Bad" that quantifying its myriad levels of greatness seemed completely beside the point. This was the king of all doomed series. Critically, the effort was just to get people to watch while having to tell them it stood almost no realistic shot of finding an audience, much less advertisers. And its future was as grim at its protagonist - a 50-year-old high school chemistry teacher suffering from inoperable lung cancer, with a pregnant wife, a son who has cerebral palsy and a misguided plan to cook methamphetamine to pay off debts and leave a nest egg after his death.

Just imagine being in that pitch meeting.

Few people can. But Vince Gilligan, the show's creator, somehow got one of the most daring cable channels out there - FX - to buy in and make the pilot. The brains at FX, among the brightest in the industry, not only made it, but they absolutely loved it, too.

And then they came to their senses.

Who was going to watch this thing? "Breaking Bad" was like downer cattle. It was untouchable. And so the channel gave it away. AMC - the channel that said yes to Matthew Weiner's fanciful idea for "Mad Men" - took it out of the Dumpster. And guess what? Not only did more people watch it than the acclaimed "Mad Men," but star Bryan Cranston wasn't just a shocking dark-horse nominee for the best actor Emmy, he actually won. (The series was nominated in three other categories, including cinematography and directing.)

Cranston's incredibly bold but nuanced portrayal of Walter White, a man who "broke bad" under extreme circumstances, is emblematic of a series poised to break out. AMC doesn't need 10 million people to watch "Breaking Bad," which kicks off its second season Sunday, but the channel is more than willing to have as many people as possible jump on the bandwagon.

If you haven't already, you should get a running start. "Breaking Bad" is exceptional and surprising. You can easily catch up with the story line as Season 2 begins (the DVD of Season 1 is also available to rent or buy). Cranston's acclaimed portrayal of a man who doesn't learn how to live until he learns he's about to die is just the leaping-off point for this series.

"Breaking Bad" is actually a lot funnier than you'd expect - the surprising kind of humor that rises up in a series like "Dexter" on Showtime, borne out of jangled nerves and the dark recesses of the human condition that inexplicably let in the light of humor when you prod them. Yes, Walt is dying. Yes, he's having a midlife crisis of epic proportions. Yes, his home life would test the faith and resilience of any man. And, yes, he's cooking up meth. But you know what? He's likable. Even lovable. And more than anything, relatable.

What Gilligan, as the creator, has managed to do here is present a man at the end of his rope, his options dwindling, his circumstances dire and mounting. But not just any man - it's easy to have some fool or loser decide to sell drugs to have one last desperate taste of the lost American dream or, short of that, feebly concoct a scheme to help his sad-sack family. But Walt has always played by the rules. This is the hook of "Breaking Bad." Walt is decent. He's smart and compassionate. He was almost somebody - contributing research to Nobel Prize-winning science.

But the big dreams didn't really pan out. And now he's in New Mexico, teaching high school chemistry on a salary that doesn't pay the bills. His son, Walt Jr. (RJ Mitte), has cerebral palsy (Mitte does as well); his understanding wife, Skyler (Anna Gunn), is pregnant with their unplanned next child. In Season 1, Walt was supplementing his income at the local car wash (until he started coughing up blood). But at his 50th birthday party, his DEA brother-in-law, Hank (Dean Norris), bragged about a recent meth bust and how much money was recovered.

And that got Walt to thinking. And a man in Walt's condition shouldn't think too much, because nothing good can come from those ill-advised dreams. He gets in the drug game via Jesse (Aaron Paul), a former student now cooking up meth (badly) and, with a desperate Walt working the science, a new, much purer brand of meth is on the market and Walt has officially broke bad. This decision sets off a string of dangerous twists.

The seven-episode first season of "Breaking Bad" was a wonderful concoction of unforeseen greatness. Cranston's Emmy-winning performance was just the start. The writing was consistently excellent, the on-location cinematography gave the series a filmlike quality as New Mexico's desolation and vast expanse of sanctuary came alive, and the tonal shifts between dire consequence and the humor often borne of it were deftly played. As the season progressed, the quality of the cast was further revealed and each episode improved.

The first three episodes of Season 2 that AMC sent out continue that level of achievement with no evident missteps. In fact, it looks as if Gilligan's bold vision for "Breaking Bad," now duly rewarded against all odds, has invigorated everyone involved in the project. You can sense its maturity and rising ambition in each episode.

It's time for a much bigger audience to find out what's cooking over at AMC.